Connecticut Legislative Leadership Files Two Major Home Care-Related Bills

Two significant and far-reaching bills affecting the home care industry have been filed by Senate and House majority leaders. As the first bills designated from each caucus, they are a high priority and are very likely to pass.

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Senate Bill 1 (SB-1), introduced in the Public Health Committee by the Senate majority caucus, would address caregiver safety. It was proposed following the tragic murder last Fall of visiting nurse Joyce Grayson, who was found dead after a visit to a Willimantic halfway house where a registered sex offender was staying. The comprehensive bill, according to a summary, is designed to give home care workers information about whether a client has a history of violence or arrests so they know the circumstances before entering a home and the location of a home, including information about violent or criminal activity in the area.

House Bill 5001, An Act Supporting Connecticut Seniors and the Improvement of Nursing and Home-Based Care, filed last week in the Aging Committee, follows a series of articles in CT Mirror last year that highlighted gaps in the state’s elder care system and lack of oversight across the home care industry.

The bill, which is sponsored by the Speaker of the House, makes a number of changes to laws affecting home care agencies, caregivers, and consumers, including:

• Establishes a home care provider registry designed but not limited to services that connect people seeking home care and support self-direction, recruitment, and retention of qualified caregivers. HCAOA Connecticut has opposed a caregiver directory, which could facilitate organizing the home care industry.
• Mandates caregiver training to recognize and respond to harassment, abuse, and discrimination by clients.
• Requires HCAs to send a photo of caregivers to clients via registered or certified mail, email, or text message at least one day before being placed with the client and requires caregivers to wear a name badge. Failure to do so could lead to disciplinary action against the agency, including suspension or revocation of a certificate of registration.

HCAOA Connecticut is actively engaged in the debate on both bills: testifying, meeting with sponsors, key lawmakers, and committee chairmen, serving as a resource, including providing safety training and other materials to officials, and working to shape the language and impact on home care providers.